Easy Rugelach

Rugelach are the rolled, crescent-shaped Jewish cookies you find at every good kosher bakery, with a cream cheese pastry that bakes up flaky and tender against the sweet fruit jam tucked inside. This is the simple home cook version: no special equipment, no laminating, no fussy steps.

The dough relies on equal weights of butter (or margarine) and cream cheese, 8 ounces of each. That ratio is the secret. The cream cheese gives the dough its signature tang and a softer, more pliable texture than puff pastry, while still baking up with crisp edges and a tender middle.

Two egg yolks (no whites) keep the pastry rich and golden without making it cakey. The recipe leans on chilling time more than mixing technique. One full hour in the fridge gives the gluten time to relax and the butter time to firm up, both of which are needed to roll thin without tearing.

Divide into four pieces, roll each into a circle, cut into wedges, dollop jam at the wide end, and roll toward the point. The wedge shape is what makes the iconic crescent.

Pro Tips

• Use cold cream cheese and cold butter; warm dough sticks to everything and tears.
• Roll thin (about ⅛ inch) for a higher pastry-to-jam ratio; thicker rolls give you doughy centers.
• Don’t overfill; a half teaspoon of jam per wedge is enough. More leaks out and burns on the pan.
• Brush rolled cookies with beaten egg and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar before baking for a glossy bakery finish.

Variations

• Fill with raspberry, apricot, or strawberry jam, or use a chocolate-walnut filling for a richer cookie.
• Add chopped nuts, raisins, or mini chocolate chips to the jam layer for texture.
• Substitute butter for margarine if you don’t need to keep it parve; the flavor is noticeably richer.